The invention relates to a charging connection device for a motor vehicle and to a motor vehicle having a charging device as specified in the preamble of the independent patent claims.
Electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles offer the possibility to charge a battery of the vehicle from a conventional household power socket found in households with a charging cable. This charging cable usually contains a plug, which is provided with an interface to the household charging socket, but also to a charging column or to another charging device. In addition, such charging cables are usually provided with a control unit having functions related to control and communication that is also referred to as an in-cable device. Moreover, such charging cables are also provided with a charging plug that serves as a vehicle-side interface, which is to say as a charging socket.
Similar charging cables have been so far usually supplied by car manufacturers and accommodated for example in the trunk compartment. If a user wants to charge the battery of the motor vehicle, the user must first remove the corresponding cable from the trunk compartment and connect it to a household socket, and additionally also open a corresponding flap on the motor vehicle in order to connect the charging cable to a corresponding charging socket of the vehicle. After the charging process, the user must again remove the charging cable from the household charging socket, and also remove the charging cable from the vehicle-side charging socket and then stow away the charging cable in the trunk compartment.
A disadvantage is in this case a relatively complicated handling of the charging cable and the time required for this operation. In particular, when other items are stored in the trunk compartment, this makes removal of the charging cable even more complicated. In addition, the space available for storage in the trunk compartment is reduced when a charging cable is accommodated in it. Moreover, there is also the risk that the vehicle could become damaged, in particular by the control device, which is usually referred to as in-cable device and which can bump against the sheet metal or damage the paint of the motor vehicle. Furthermore, undesired contamination of or damage to the control device can also occur during the charging of the battery because it is usually placed on the floor between the vehicle and the household charging socket or a charging column.
That is why it is proposed in documents DE 10 2010 048 385 A1, DE 10 2010 048 386 A1, DE 10 2011 121 303 A1, DE 4 212 207 A1 and DE 10 2009 016 865 A1 that a permanently installed charging cable can be provided on the vehicle side so that the charging cable is equipped with a household charging socket or with a charging station.
Moreover, document DE 10 2010 048 385 A1 proposes to provide a charging socket that can be connected at least indirectly with the battery of the motor vehicle and into which a charging plug or a charging column can be inserted. With the solution proposed here, the user of the motor vehicle can use both the charging cable with a power supply plug for a household charging socket for charging at a household charging socket, as well as a charging plug that can be inserted into a corresponding charging socket provided in a public charging column.